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         Sloane Grammar School boy, if you seek your memorial,

 look around you but you'll need to register first.

 

 


 

Register and link up with old school friends again and become part of Sloane Reunited.

If you were a pupil or member of staff at Sloane you qualify to register for the website. Click on Missing Classmates at the top of this page to see if we've been expecting you. If you see your name, click on it and follow instructions. If your name's not there click on BECOME A MEMBER to learn more and then click the ADD NAME button to start the ball rolling or click Contact Us at the top of the page, read what you see then complete the box at the bottom of that page to ask me to add your name to the list.

 

It's Free, it's Easy, it's Secure

and

You're Never Alone As A Sloane

 





TO ALL MEMBERS, DON'T FORGET!! -

Please check the ANNOUNCEMENTS BOARD at the foot of this page for anything important and, after you Log In, the CALENDAR OF EVENTS page for details of forthcoming planned events, and the white Bell image at the top of the website for any onsite activity you may have missed

If you're having trouble logging in because you've forgotten your Password, click on Forgot Password? inside the Classmate Login box that appears after you click   Sign In   and you'll be Emailed a link to reset it.
 

 

You'll find other helpful tips under REMINDERS below.
 

  The Sloane

 

                                                                                                                                                                                     


Hello and Welcome to

Mark Foulsham's

Sloane Grammar School website


 

If I built it I knew you would come

  

 

 

A School that invited loyalty

 (Quote by Don Wheal)

 
Gone But Not Forgotten

'Men are we, and must grieve when even the shade

Of that which once was great is pass'd away.'


William Wordsworth

On the Extinction of the Venetian Republic

 


You may think you're done with the past but the past isn't done with you!
 


 

"The merits of a school are judged as much by the men it produces as by their achievements as boys" - 

(Old Cheynean D.J. Cowie, March 1929)

 


 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                    

If you're a member, click on an image (     ) at the top for more. 

Here's what you'll find -

 

   = Messages waiting in the Message Centre - 
              
The red bubble shows how many.


   = Website activity - 
              
Check for things you may have missed.
 

   = Member functions -
                Edit Profile, Edit Contact Info (to keep your Email Address/es, Home Address, and Phone number/s up to date. Add your Birthday here too if you didn't when you joined), Change Password, Log Out, Message Centre (to read and send messages to other members), Notify Me (for indicating your website Notification and  Profile Subscription choices).

     
         AND FINALLY, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, -

 

Please let a close relative know of your participation in the Sloane website and show them how to use the Contact Us page to notify me in the sad event of your death. Not only will this allow me to notify other members, it will also put a stop to any website generated emails finding their way to your Inbox. Thank you.

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Come on in! 
Don't be late! 
This is one detention 
You'll be pleased to take
.

               

    A WARM WELCOME 


to fellow Cheyneans and passers-by, from the Official Sloane Grammar School 1919-1970 Old Cheyneans and Friends web site.

I, Mark Foulsham, at Sloane 1963-70, created this site in August 2008 to record for posterity all that I can, and for all those who attended Sloane or simply have a Sloane connection, to share and enjoy. Feel free just to browse or, if you feel you qualify to join us, make full use of the site by becoming a Registered Classmate. It's Free! 

To start the registration process -


Click Here to Register 
 

If it doesn't work for you it's because I'm no longer around and new memberships aren't available. While I'm still alive, I'll also be happy to send a personal invitation to anyone else with a Sloane School Chelsea connection who you think might like to join us. Just enter their Email address in the MISSING CLASSMATES box to your right and click Send Invite.  

We may not understand why but memories of our days at Sloane remain with us while others do not. Whether they're good or they're bad, I'd like to give all old boys the opportunity to keep those memories alive.

 

  


 

 Aspirations and Objectives


Sloane never had a motto and although our school badge is based on the lion rampant and boar's head of the Cadogan family crest their motto, Qui Invidet Minor Est or He That Envies Is Inferior, is not really appropriate so I'll adopt the one to be found on the Coat of Arms of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea as it suits us nicely -


Quam Bonum In Unum Habitare

 (What A Good Thing It Is To Dwell Together In Unity) 


It is hoped, in some small way, to be able to have similar objectives to those stated for the first issue of The Cheynean in December 1926  -


"To record faithfully the major activities of the School, to promote and foster a corporate spirit in the School, to excite a greater keenness both in the games and in other phases of its social life, and to serve as a link between present members of the School and the Old Cheyneans".  -

and also to bring together, once again, old friends and classmates, and those of us who have outlived the school and share a common interest in its history and its future.

Sadly, I've no memory of having ever sung or even heard a school song but apparently one was written by music Master Mr Seymour Dicker (who retired in 1930) in 1928. Called Carmen Sloanense, it was first sung in July of that year by pupil J E Bush who played the Pirate King in Sloane productions of The Pirates of Penzance. What became of it after that first performance is a mystery but it contained the lines -

"Salve, the School and its scholars so keen,

 Long may they keep its memory green."

 If you're not yet a member but you've got memories of Sloane you'd like to share, use the Contact Us page to send them in and, whilst you're there, register for the site as well. 

Once you've registered, you can  send a message to someone else on the site via the Message Centre or by using their Profile. Click on their name on the Classmate Profiles page then
 click on the red 'Send 'x' a private message' at the top of their Profile.


After you've registered, why not take a look at all the Classmate Profiles ? Even if you don't know the person involved, the information they've put on their Profile can be interesting, illuminating and fun, and often brings back memories of something you thought you'd forgotten about.

If, at any time after becoming a member, you're unsure about anything click on this Using This Site link for an explanation or contact me direct via the Contact Us page.
              

 * * * * * * * *
 

 Why Not Take a Look at Where your Classmates are Living?


Find out the Postcode of a Classmate from their Profile (if they've agreed to let everyone know it) then Click on the link below, enter the details where it says 'Address', then Click on 'Go'. Not every country is covered yet and those that are have limited coverage, but it's worth a try.

Here's the link. Have fun - http://www.vpike.com/

 

* * * * * * * *

 

The Sloane News

 

BREAKING NEWS!


Nothing At Present

 

*

NHS Cuts Costs By Encouraging Nurses To Do More.


Nurses are being encouraged to do more to boost their wage packets and to provide more work for doctors. These ladies spend their break times wheeling cigarettes to patients' bedsides and encouraging them to try different brands and flavours until they find one that they enjoy. The cigarettes will still contribute to their death but leave a nicer taste in their mouth after they've gone -

 


*

 

* * *

 

FRONT PAGE NEWS
 

If you're wondering what to buy the love of your life for Valentine's Day this selection might give you some ideas -
 


 

* * *
 

HOME FRONT NEWS


I was hoping not to have to burden you with my health woes this year, and all seemed to be going well for a day or two as there was no sign of any appointment letters emanating from NHS offices up and down the land. I did have one more appointment pending, an MRI scan, on Sunday 5th January, but more of that in a moment. Suddenly, I found myself with another three appointments as letters arrived from Cardiac Investigations at St George's hospital, Tooting. Two were planned for the same day, 17th January. One was an Echocardiogram at 9.15am and the other for the fitting of a 48 hour Holter Monitor to measure the electrical activity of the body's cardiovascular system over 48 hours. The fitting took place at 12.20pm. Finally (I hope), at 11.20am on Wednesday, 28th February, I am to visit the X-ray Department of the Jubilee Health Centre, Wallington, for an ultrasound scan on both kidneys. Now, these procedures will be bread and butter to many of you and I have had them before myself. What I've never experienced before is what happened to me on Sunday, 5th January. I arrived for my MRI scan in good spirits, was positioned in the scanner and the scan began. I was warned it was likely to last about 25 minutes and after five of them all seemed well. At that point my breathing was becoming erratic and I began to feel claustrophobic. As it worsened, I pressed the emergency panic button I had been givento use should this sort of thing happen. I've had MRI's before but this was the first time this had happened. There was on way I could carry on, feeling as I did, so the scanner was stopped. This meant another one had to be started from scratch so, after I'd rested for a while, and thought I might be up to it again, I was asked to lay back down on the scanner. It wasn't to be. This time, I knew immediately that I wasn't going to last out so pressed the panic button again as I felt even more claustrophobic, was having further difficulty breathing and my nasal passages and head felt very congested. After sitting down outside the machine for a while, the nurse and I agreed that it would be better to arrange another appointment and maybe visit my doctor in the meantime to discuss the possibility of a sedative before the next scan.

While I was recovering I re-read the MRI Safety Questionnaire I had been asked to complete before the scan. It asks a number of questions about things that might affect the success of the scan as well as previous surgical procedures and current illnesses. On reading the questionnaire a second time, I realised there was no question on there that alluded to my having COPD/Asthma and the affect the scan might have on someone who already had breathing difficulties. I've pointed it out to them now.

All being well, my re-arranged appointment is for Sunday, 2nd February at 12.30pm. Fingers crossed, the cold weather won't be so bad (this affects my breathing) and, with or without the sedative they've now provided, I hope the next scan is successfully completed. 

All this was getting too much for me so I decided to take my wife away for a break. First I bought her a lovely winter coat made out of 3600 hamster skins. It looked lovely but it took two days to get her off the big wheel. It took a while to get there by train too due to the ice and snow. The AA warnings put us off that idea. They suggested that anyone deciding to travel in such adverse weather conditions should take a shovel, blankets/sleeping bag, extra clothing to include scarf, hat and gloves, a 24 hour supply of food and drink, a de-icer, rock salt, torch, spare battery, petrol can, first aid kit and jump leads. I looked a right prat on the bus to the station.


Anyone else thinking Dry January is dragging on a bit? You can still find bargains without breaking your resolve -


 

I joined some of the 1960 intake, along with Chris Porter and Keith Hammond from the 1961 intake, in the Rocket in Putney on 16th January and was so pleased I did. My two hospital appointments, due the day after, didn't dampen my enthusiasm one bit. At this point, I feel I should apologise for saying in the last Home Page update that the get-together was on Friday, 16th January when, of course, it was on Thursday, 16th January. I hope no one was confused enough to find themselves alone in The Rocket on Friday, 17th. If you did, just be grateful the rounds were cheaper. Apart from me, Keith and Chris, the other characters who were there were Ian Wiseman, John Conway, Alan Mayell, John Coles, John Absalom, Michael Furie and Reg Mayhew. Apologies to any I've forgotten to mention. I promise you it's not because I had too much to drink it's more a question of remembering the faces, forgetting the names. Of course, it might also have been due to their intoxicating company. The afternoon was full of memories and stories aplenty. The only downside was what happened to one of us on the way home -



Despite the advancing years, I do still occasionally get inspired. This time it was watching athletics that did it. After virtually every great sporting event that comes on TV, we're repeatedly told that it's legacy will be to inspire. Well, jut the other day it worked for me. I saw three joggers outside and I was inspired to get up and close the curtains. Talking of which, all three joggers were women and the temperature outside was around 2°C. What were they trying to prove!? I'm wise enough to wait for warmer weather to arrive before I do anything too energetic.

I often think about the wisdom my Dad passed on to me. He used to say -

"When one door closes, son, another one opens."

He was a great philosopher but a lousy furniture maker. 


* * *
 

JOKES OF THE WEEK


A man named Donald bought a horse from a farmer for $250. The farmer agreed to deliver the horse the next day. The next day, the farmer drove up to Donald's house and said,

“Sorry, son, but I have some bad news. The horse died.”

Donald replied, “Well, then just give me back my money.”

The farmer said, “Can’t do that. I went and spent it already.”

Donald said, “Ok, then just bring me the dead horse.”

The farmer asked, “What ya gonna do with him?”

Donald said, “I’m going to raffle him off.”

The farmer said, “You can’t raffle off a dead horse!”

Donald said, “Sure I can! Watch me.

A month Later, the farmer met up with Donald and asked, “What happened with that dead horse?”

Donald said, “I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at five dollars apiece and made a profit of $2495.”

The farmer said, “Didn’t anyone complain?”

Donald said, “Just the guy who won. So I gave him back his five dollars.”

Donald hs just moved into the White House.

 

*

 

A friend of mine felt the need to phone a psychiatric hotline recently. As usual today, the automated voice on the other end of the line offered him options -

"If you are obsessive compulsive, please press 1 repeatedly.

If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2.

f you have multiple personalities, please press 3, 4, 5, and 6.

If you are paranoid-delusional, we know who you are and what you want. Just stay on the line so we can trace the call.

If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.

If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press. No one will answer.

If you are anxious, just start pressing numbers at random.

If you are phobic, don't press anything.

If you are anal retentive, please hold".


*

A man wakes up one morning to find a boar on his roof. So he looks in the Yellow Pages and sure enough, there's an ad for "Wild Boar Removers."
He calls the number, and the boar remover says he'll be over in 30 minutes. The wild boar remover arrives, and gets out of his van. He's got a ladder, a large lump of wood, a shotgun and a mean old pit bull.

"What are you going to do," the homeowner asks?

"I'm going to put this ladder up against the roof, then I'm going to go up there and knock the boar off the roof with this lump of wood. When the boar falls off, the pit bull is trained to grab his testicles and not let go. The boar will then be subdued enough for me to put him in the cage in the back of the van."

He hands the shotgun to the homeowner.

"What's the shotgun for?" asks the homeowner.

"If the boar knocks me off the roof, shoot the dog."

 

*


A man was sitting quietly reading his paper one morning, peacefully enjoying himself, when his wife sneaked up behind him and whacked him on the back of his head with a huge frying pan.

He asked, 'What was that for?'

She replied, 'What was that piece of paper in your trousers pocket with the name Virginia written on it?'

He says, 'Oh that. Remember two weeks ago when I went to the horse races? Virginia was the name of one of the horses I bet on.'

She's happy with his answer and goes off to work around the house.

Three days later he is once again sitting in his chair reading and she repeats the frying pan swatting. He says, 'What's that for this time?'

She answered, 'Your horse phoned.'


*

A devoted wife had spent her lifetime taking care of her husband. Now he had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months, yet she stayed by his bedside every single day.
When he woke he motioned for her to come near him.

As she sat by him, he said,

"You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times. When I got fired, you were there to support me. When my business failed, you were there. When I got shot, you were by my side. When we lost the house, you gave me support. When my health started failing, you were still by my side. You know what?"

"What dear?" she asks gently.

"I think you bring me bad luck."



 

* * *
 

THOUGHTS OF THE WEEK

 

Whatever life throws at you, remember you can always duck and let it hit someone else.


*

Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to your level and then beat you with experience.

*

If you're fed up with following your dreams, just ask them where they're going and catch up with them later.

*

When your vacuum cleaner gets clogged and you have to clean it out, does that make you a vacuum cleaner?

*

When people tell me "You're going to regret that in the morning", I sleep in until after midday because I'm a problem solver.

*

Is it just me or do you think I'm always right too?
 

* * *

 

 

The Story of The NEVERWELLS (WHO ARE NEVER OUT OF TROUBLE)


Many years ago I picked up a small book at a car boot sale and now, with over three years in the world of Covid behind us, I thought it might be a good time to share its contents with you. 

The book in question, published in 1948 (the year the NHS came into being), is titled The Story of The Neverwells (Who Are Never Out Of Trouble) and was written by William Edwards, a doctor, under the pseudonym Dr. Goodenough.

The Neverwells included mum and dad, their small boy Billy, growing-up Mary and baby Roy, and came into being after the Editor of The People newspaper met two people on a train. One of them was a doctor friend of the Editor's, 'a kindly soul yet a man of the world who has one of the biggest practices in the South of England.' He said: 

"I am rushed off my feet these days. And in most cases I need not have been called in at all, if only people had a simple knowledge about ordinary illnesses."

Later, the Editor found himself talking to a woman passenger with two children -

"They're not too strong," she said, "always under the doctor with one thing or another. It's never serious you know, but the trouble is you can never be sure and so you must call the doctor."

The same night as he had spoken to the two people on the train, the Editor of The People telephoned his doctor friend and asked him if he would become Dr. Goodenough and write for him every week the story of a family - the Neverwell family - about their complaints and how he treated them, and in simple language so that ordinary people could at last learn the elementary things about illness.

For over a year before the book was published, Dr. Goodenough entertained and instructed People readers every week with the story of the never-ending complaints of the Neverwells. There were words of wisdom and understanding in these little features as well. So much so that, increasingly, the People was inundated with letters from readers asking for a book to be written. Hence, the book I picked up some 30 years after it was first published I now bring to you each time I update this Home Page of the website. I hope you find some enjoyment in its pages and can see the comparisons it enables us to make between the way medicine was practiced back then and how much it has advanced in such a relatively short space of time whilst the personal touch has moved in the opposite direction.

The following piece from the book concerns Mr Neverwell and the illness whose name makes you think it's associated with dogs -
 

Scabies -

Once again, Mrs. Neverwell presented herself at Dr. Goodenough's surgery.

"Well, whatever's the matter now?" he asked. "Has your husband put the fork through his other foot?"

"No doctor, it's me. I haven't slept all night, with itching. Do you think it's something I've eaten?"

"Let's have a look at you first, and do the guessing afterwards," he said. So Mrs. Neverwell had to undress and show him her spots. Ther were quite  lot on her forearms and more round her waist. When the doctor looked closely, he found some more between her fingers. Then he took a magnifying glass and with a needle, removed soething which he placed on a microscope slide. As he focussed his instrument, he said:

"The commonest itching rashes one sees are nettlerash, eczema, and scabies. Of course, quite a lot of other things can cause itching: various skin irritants, some plants, even sugar and flour in susceptible people. All kinds of insect bites itch; shingles does sometimes; ringworm does a little. People with jaundice and diabetes itch and so do people who get prickly heat in the tropics. But for practical purposes, there's only one thing that keeps people awake all night with the itch, and that's scabies.

"But my sister had nettlerash last year and that itched something dreaful."

The doctor nodded. "It can. But victims usually drop off to sleep sooner or later, and it doesn't wake them up. Nettlerash is what you get when you've eaten something that disagrees with you - prhaps oysters or strawberries, and it looks like wheals - as if you'd been stung by a lot of nettles. Quite different to this. Eczema starts as a lot of little pimples, which soon run together and make a raw, scaly surface. It often weeps, and it does itch. This thing you have looks pimply, too, but if you look at it really closely, especially if you use a pocket magnifier, you will see that quite a lot of them are really little raised lines, about a quarter of an inch long. We call them burrows."

"Like rabbit burrows?

"Something made on the same principle, anyhow, for they are caused by a tiny insect which gets on your skin and burrows under the surface. Look through the microscope: I've caught one of them for you all alive-o."

Mrs. Neverwell peered down the microscope.

"Ooh!" she said, in a tone of disgust. "Not that thing?"

It looked like one of the small crabs one finds in pools at the seaside. The doctor laughed.

"Of course, it's magnified tremendously," he said. "This is the female of the species, and she is the only one who matters. She burrows under your skin and lays her eggs there; and it is when they hatch out that you begin to itch. If you don't do anything about it, you soon get infested by them, and life is one long misery."

"But I thought only dirty people caught things like that!" exclaimed Mrs. Neverwell.

The doctor shrugged. "In dirty people you find many more on the hands. Clean people have them on the body, because they wash their hands more oftn than they bath. You see, you've only to sit next to a person with scabies in some crowded place and there's a good chance of picking it up. It is very contagious. Luckily it is quite easy to cure, once you know what you've got. We ued to treat it with sulphur, and that is still quite effctive, but there are special emulsions now for killing this insect, which work with one application."

He wrote her a prescription, and added: Take off all your clothes. Then get your husband to smear you all over with this cream. You needn't do your face, but do every other part. Leave it on for twenty-four hours, then have a bath and forget it. It's no use dabbing it here and there, or you'll miss some of them. And don't go using it for days or it will take your hide off."

"And is that all I have to do?"

"No. Do all the rest of the family at the same time. One at least of them is almnost sure to have caught it from you and you'd better get going and save them from a bad night."

A few days later, Mrs. Neverwell met Dr. Goodenough in the street, and reported that all the itching had gone.

"But baby's got a cough," she said. "I'll have to send for you if he gets any worse!"

Give the Goodenough's record, that looks to be more likely than not, don't you think?

Bronchitis was the bane of my life as child, and my mother always insisted I was born with it. You can't, of course, but babies are more susceptible to its development due to their smaller airways.

 

* * *

                                                        

 

* * * * *

 

The Home We Called Sloane
 

 

The Sloane building seen from Hortensia Road in 1908  


The Sloane building was 100 years old in 2008, although it didn't actually start life as a boys' school until after the First World War, during which it served as a hospital. It still stands and many memories are, no doubt, ingrained in its walls along with the odd name and ribald comment. Who knows what the future holds, despite its Grade II listing on May 7th, 2002. Grade II listed buildings can be altered, extended, or even demolished, but only with Local Authority consent, so it may be that the building is considered historically or architecturally interesting enough for it's fabric to remain untouched. Some consideration may have been given to it having been the first purpose-built secondary school in London, and it is certainly one of only 3% of all ages of listed buildings that was built in the 20th century. Schools generally are seen as a good investment by developers because they're easy to convert. They are likely to be structurally sound because the authorities will have inspected them regularly to ensure they comply with Health and Safety requirements. 

To learn more about what has happened to the building we left behind visit the Sloane Today page once you've become a registered member.

                                                             

Sadly, Sloane Grammar School for Boys only lasted 51 years, from 1919-1970. Sloane old boy John Binfield, in one of his poems, writes -

... the school, with
All its past, was sucked into a huge
Turbulent sea of glass in Pimlico
And sank without trace. "full fathom five..

Sea nymphs hourly ring his knell.
Hark, now I hear them. Ding-dong bell".

The exterior of the building still survives in the form we all remember even if the interior doesn't. It would have been wonderful to have been able to celebrate, in 2019, what would have been its centenary as a boys' school, had it remained in existence as such. Unfortunately, for us, it wasn't to be, and the Covid-19 pandemic that gripped the world in 2020 and beyond didn't allow for a late celebration either. Maybe one day...... 
 

Sloane seen from the rear in 2014

 

* * *
   

This Website And The British Library's Web Archive


Please Note: - The school building still remains but not as a school. I've tried to preserve as much of its history and old boys' memories of it as I can, on this website. You might like to know that once I'm no longer around and have shuffled off to that classroom in the sky, this website will remain intact. Once my monthly payments to the Class Creator programmers cease the site will continue but to compensate them for their loss it will display adverts. If you're still around, you'll still be able to Log In to the site and carry on much as you did when I was alive. Naturally, the site will look exactly as it did (apart from the adverts) on the day I died. What will not be possible are any new members, unlikely as that is, as I won't be here to verify they are who they say they are.

In addition, in 2013 , just before the Legal Deposit regulations came into force, I asked to register the website with the British Library's UK Web Archive as one of historical interest and they agreed. So, when none of us are unable to Log In anymore or the Class Creator business ceases to operate, it will still be available for access by our children and grandchildren etc., as well as future historians, at this address -
 

Web Archiving
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London NW1 2DB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7184
E-mail: web-archivist@bl.uk


Since 2013, publishers need to give a copy of every UK publication they make to the British Library. Five other major UK libraries may also ask to be given a copy. This system is called legal deposit and it's been a part of English law since 1662.

Print publications for legal deposit can be books, journals, sheet music, maps, plans, charts or tables. Now legal deposit also covers material published digitally such as websites, blogs, e-journals and CD-ROMs.

Legal deposit has many benefits for publishers and authors. The deposited publications can be read inside the British Library and will be preserved for future generations. Their works become part of the nation’s heritage, providing inspiration for new books and other publications.

Unfortunately, in the case of websites, the British Library say that much of the information contained in them cannot be archived for technical reasons. In addition, as almost all this website's pages are Password Protected, it will be impossible for them to be accessed unless I remove that restriction. At some point I will give the British Library's 'web crawler' access to our Password Protected pages to allow it to take a 'snapshot' of the site on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or 6-monthly basis. At the time of writing this, 2020, their system doesn't have the capability to crawl and archive private content that sits behind a Log In procedure. They will never be allowed access to members' Profiles and the personal information they contain.

The current generation of web crawlers cannot capture:

  • Interactive, dynamically generated content
  • Content that is only available via a search engine on the website, or some other form submission method
  • Some types of JavaScript-driven menus
  • YouTube videos, Flash movies and similar streaming audio or video (some audio and video files can be captured, e.g. those embedded via the standard HTML5 <video> or <audio> tags).

Unlike static HTML, which is relatively easy to capture, script code is very hard for traditional web crawlers to analyse, which is why the Library runs web browsers for a limited part of their crawls. Even that cannot capture very interactive web sites, like single-page web applications, or any site feature that needs a remote server to function. In practical terms this means that entering queries into the search box of an archived version of a website will not work. Standard links on the website, however, will work as normal.

Some JavaScript driven menus do not function well once archived. YouTube videos, Flash movies, and similar streaming audio or video are also beyond the capability of web crawlers. However, as members of the International Internet Preservation Consortium, contributors to the UK Web Archive are developing tools which will help capture this content in the future.

Attempts are made to gather all of the objects associated with a website including html, images, PDF documents, audio and video files and other objects such as programming scripts. However, the crawler software cannot automatically gather any material that is protected behind a password, without the owner's collaboration. Web site owners may however choose to divulge confidentially a user ID and password to allow archiving of these areas. So, as I said, I'll collaborate with the British Library to allow them to gather only non-invasive non-personal information behind the password protection if and when their archiving system becomes capable of it .

 

* * *
 

Whatever our own personal reasons for it doing so, the school will still haunt most of us even if it disappears altogether. With that tenuous link, here's a poem that I came across in a copy of The Cheynean -

 


The Ghost of Sloane

 


 
When London's asleep and the School very quiet,
No sound of footsteps, no sound of a riot,
No sound of even the shuffle of feet,
No sound of the creak of a pupil's seat,
Out of the darkness the ghost of Sloane
Awakes from rest with a sigh and a groan.
Then up he arises to haunt the School
Climbing the stairs in the guise of a ghoul.
He shuffles and clanks down each corridor
Into the classrooms where stand desks galore.
He examines each desk and checks the boys' work,
Allots ghostly marks in the dark and the murk.

If you ever lose books from out of your desk,
And the teacher upbraids you and calls you a pest,
Just tell him my story, however tall,
Of the white shrouded phantom that haunts the School Hall.

                                                    J. Hollingshead (3C)


As for us, the boys who used to attend our Chelsea school, we probably considered ourselves 'Chelsea men' but I doubt that many of us fitted the description in this poem, written when he was in the 5th year by one time Sloane Schoolboy, A R Doubledee. I get the impression he didn't particularly approve of the 'Beatniks' of the late 50s and early 60s that he found himself sharing Chelsea with or, as he called them the 'Weirdies' -                                                                        

 
The Weirdies



The Chelsea man is excessively queer,
He only drinks coffee and doesn't like beer.
He's always "chatting" the girls, and yet
This seems to make him "one of the set".

His unkempt chin and uncut hair
Go with his feet which are usually bare.
If he wears shoes, they've never got soles,
And he's usually found in Bohemian holes.


His outsize sweater is generally black
Contrasting well with his shorty mac.
He wears his clothing merely to show
That he can keep up with the boys of Soho.


To find a girl he doesn't look far,
But into the nearest coffee bar,
Where he's sure to meet a Bohemian "yob".
They're all from Chelsea - what a mob!


The girls with hair right down their backs
Wear irregular clothes that look like sacks.
They walk about wearing father's sweater:
I really don't see why he should let 'er.


Their gaudy clothes of reds and greens
Match up with the style of their men-friends' jeans.
Now that's how it goes with the latest style:
Girls on their faces make-up pile,
The men wear anything they can find -
I shouldn't stare, I should just act blind!


A.R. Doubledee (5b)

* * * 

                                            

                                         


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